Friday, April 24, 2009

Utah was Awesome!!

The first weekend in March- we got away for a few nights without the kids! Obviously I was just a little excited- I mean who takes pictures of their luggage/loading the car? Apparently that person would be me- I just couldn't resist!! Ryan and I having 7 hours of uninterrupted time alone in the car to just talk was probably the best part! We have been so busy lately and it seems like we do not get to talk enough! I love him so much and it was just nice to have him to myself- no T.V. or kids to get in the way of a good conversation!

Our friends the Coombs invited us up to their time share with them, there potentially could have been 5 couples, but ended up being the Coombs, Roses and Bosleys. We had a great time together! Thank you Coombs and Roses for an AWESOME time!! We love you!

Tucked in nice and neat!

We didn't waste any time, the games came out right away! Another bonus- Heather and Rebekah love to be in their pajamas as much as I do! This picture is Jon, Heather, Derek, me and Ryan- Rebekah is behind the camera!Monday morning we did the time share presentation it wasn't very painful. We got to do it in a group and the "guide" was low key. We all loved how he used the word awesome to describe everything! The best part had to be each couple getting $100 vouchers to use at the resort- SWEET! After the presentation we went and had lunch, changed into our snow gear and went tubing! It was FREEZING, there was snow and biting cold wind- but we didn't let it stop us from having a blast! After tubing we went down to the jacuzzi and saunas- so relaxing. Dinner that night was spaghetti, garlic bread and salad! Of course we played more games.

Me and Ryan.

Tuesday was skiing day- the storm the day before dumped 8 inches of fresh powder- perfect conditions for my very first day of skiing EVER! I wasn't sure if I was going to go skiing or not- I truly would have enjoyed many hours uninterrupted with a good book/taking a nap. I decided however to be adventurous, try something new and out of my comfort zone completely. I was a little excited but mostly nervous!! I soon discovered that my knees were going to be a stumbling block. I inherited my dad's bad knees. In Arizona they don't bother me much because of the HEAT! Since I was in SNOW and it was COLD my knees were not going to cooperate. Rebekah, Derek, Jon and Ryan headed up to the black diamond runs- were they stayed the whole day, and LOVED it! Sweet Heather stayed with me in the morning to go to a beginner ski class. This was her third time skiing and she claimed that she wanted to take the class for a brush up. All I know is that she appeared to not NEED it, so THANK YOU Heather for keeping me company!!

The Boys: Ryan, Derek and Jon.

At the start of the lesson, I was so tense, I was most nervous about running people over- because of not knowing how to stop! The instructor was teaching us the wedge and my knees were literally burning as I traveled down the mountain, they felt like they were on fire! For the record, I have a very high tolerance for pain- this was just too much! I had to sit out and rest my knees for a while- okay fine a long time! So after I rested and we had lunch in the lodge, our only time eating out, since we planned a menu and brought YUMMY food to cook, it was time to try again!

The Girls: Heather, Rebekah and me.

That first time down the mountain after lunch I think I fell about 5 times. Falling wasn't the hard part- getting back up was. Since I am TOTALLY out of shape, I could not get up with my skis on! How sad is that? Every fall meant taking off my skis, getting to standing position, putting my skis back on and trying again!! The good part was that resting really did help and my knees were not hurting nearly as bad! I progressively fell less and less. That was comforting. I did end up taking another rest! The scenery was beautiful- snow covered mountains and GREEN TREES! I got my skis back on and had another go. Much better, and I was so proud of myself for not giving up! There was one time down that I didn't fall once. I even took the last opportunity and rode the last chair lift up of the day!

Ryan

Things I learned: before skiing for the first time: 1)it is probably a good idea to lose those extra pounds your carrying 2)maybe exercising sometime in the last 18 months would be helpful 3)it is advisable to not wait until you are 30 younger=more fearless 4)if you have bad knees don't leave your knee brace in another state! Bottom line I am looking forward to trying skiing again, lighter, stronger and with knee braces!

Me- at least I look good on the skis! BTW- how awesome is this snow suit- I borrowed it from my mom- Ryan had fun calling me jumpsuit girl all weekend- he was just jealous he didn't look as good as I did!

After skiing we again went in the jacuzzi and saunas to soothe our tired aching muscles. For dinner we had pot roast and ranch mashed potatoes. Another game of Settlers, Ryan, myself, Heather and Rebekah stayed up until 1:00 in the morning talking we just didn't want the vacation to end! In the morning Rebakah and Derek left early to head back to AZ. Jon and Heather and Ryan and I went to Nielsens frozen custard when we got to St. George. Then Ryan and I were on our way- Heather and Jon stayed a couple more days with family in St. George.The time away was just what I needed, a million thanks to my mom and my AWESOME sister Vanessa who watched our kids for us. Vanessa even had the girls dressed in the morning before she took Carson to school- I don't even do that! Coombs and Roses- WE LOVE YOU!